Darkness Incarnate
by AuzeriGirl
Summary: Legend tells of terrible monsters that inhabit the chaos emeralds. If one of true power summons the creature using a certain ritual, the creature will be his or hers to command. And Mephiles plans to do just that. But when the creature is summoned, it is quite different from what he was expecting. Collab w/ ShadowWeasel Rated T for blood.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Deal with the Devil**

"Finally…..with the power contained within this emerald, I shall finally enact my perfect vengeance!"

Mephiles could hardly contain his gruesome excitement. It all started with sheer dumb luck. Finding those ancient manuscripts in some hollowed out tomb….who would have guessed they would be the key to his new victory….

These manuscripts he found spoke of an ancient ritual. The ritual stated that if one of great power held a chaos emerald, they could fuse their own energy with the emerald to release a monster that had been sealed within for centuries. The monster would be bound to Mephiles' every command, and with the power of that terrifying beast until Mephiles' control….he could finally kill Shadow the Hedgehog!

Mephiles poured his dark power into the emerald, which happened to be the purple one. The violet emerald gleamed with an unearthly power and started to shake heavily in Mephiles' hands; exerting a power that only a few knew how to draw forward. Only those with great strength could use the power of the chaos emeralds, and even fewer could bring forth the entities that resided within them.

A bright light erupted into the room, faintly tainted by Mephiles' darkness, since he was the one bringing forth the creature. It was similar to the procedure of a genie in a lamp; if one could summon the creature, they would be his to command.

"Now," the dark hedgehog spoke with command in his voice, swirling the blades of shadow with his fingertips. He slashed the lines of purple-black energy like a sort of hellish watercolor. "Tremble and obey me, Mephiles the Dark, your new god and master! With this power, Shadow the Hedgehog will bow and break like the pitiful creature he is!"

There was a piercing and shattering noise as the emerald swelled with the light inside of it and broke upon the ground. The light got so bright that it was impossible to see, and Mephiles had to shield his eyes. When it cleared, there was a figure standing amidst the shards, kneeling to Mephiles.

However, instead of the ferocious monster that was depicted to be in the chaos emerald, there was a figure that looked similar to an echidna. Her skin and locks were the same color as the emerald was, with white tribal markings on them like tattoos. Her outfit covered her chest and waist, and rings covered her wrists. When she looked up at Mephiles, she seemed a bit startled.

"W….where am I?"

"You…" Mephiles half-snarled, half-gasped in mild surprise, "….you are not the creature of legend I sought."

He examined the girl with an almost childish curiosity, taking her chin in his hand and staring deeply into her eyes. "No…." he murmured as though he were alone in thought. "What cruel act of fate has befallen me? What in hell are you?"

The girl quickly stood from her kneeling position, apparently highly offended. "How _dare_ you mock me!" she snarled back at him, her wrists glowing with purple energy, but she seemed to be held back from striking him. This was because he was the one who released her. She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Did you or did you not summon me?! I am indeed the creature that dwells within the emerald! I am Lyna! And who are you?!"

Mephiles almost laughed at the suddenness of her movement, and the audacity in her voice. Instead, his voice came out like rumbling thunder that might have resembled a chuckle to a mortal man. "I am Mephiles," he introduced with a swift parody of a bow, waving his hand and deftly bending one knee. "Mephiles that Dark."

Lyna's hands clenched into fists. His cocky nature seemed to irritate her to no end…not to mention that the darkness swirling around him caused her to shudder slightly, like it was a physically cold thing resembling fear.

He sneered at the girl's aggressive stance. "Do not pretend you could possibly harm me, girl," he hissed the word "girl" as though it were a venomous thing. "I am the one who summoned you, if you are truly the legend of which I have heard so much about."

She knew the rules. She could not disobey the one who summoned her. It was a command that was set into her entire being. No matter what he commanded, she had to comply. Her shoulders slumped a bit, as she knew that he was right. "Well, I obey because I must, but that doesn't mean I can turn into some awful monster if that's what you were hoping for. But don't think that means I'm weak, mortal…" she growled.

The raven and violet hedgehog felt the girl's posture weaken.

"I was, in fact, hoping for a….monster of sorts," Mephiles admitted crudely, pacing around the female and feigning interest in her features. "But, I suppose you will suffice."

He locked his toxic green eyes with her own. "Perhaps you could demonstrate your abilities," he told her, and then added sharply, "if you possess any, that is."

Lyna's own eyes were gold instead of the dark purple the rest of her body was, and they narrowed in his gaze. She knew he was only pretending to be interested in her. They were all the same. Her masters never cared what she looked like or what she wanted; they only wanted their goal accomplished.

'Perhaps if I show him just what I can do he'll shut up,' she thought to herself. Lyna closed her eyes and focused the chaos energy that not only made up her, but every creature in existence. That was how the chaos emerald drew its power after all. The very universe was created from a fabric of chaos. When Lyna's eyes opened, she decided to show him exactly what she could do. Her power surrounded her like a sphere, and then drastically exploded in a Chaos Blast that left Mephiles completely unharmed. That was a good side effect of having part of his energy used when he summoned her.

Lyna blew the entire building they were in apart, but kept the pieces hovering in the air, her arms outstretched to do so. She could bring the building back together again, but wanted to give him a moment to let that sink in.

Mephiles's eyes visibly widened, and he cursed himself for letting the girl see him surprised. But there was no denying the immense power she possessed. Her appearance truly deceived her; his judgment had been a cloud in his vision. Lyna saw his eyes widened just slightly in the beginning, and it made her blood boil that he still wouldn't admit that she had power…

The dark hedgehog did nod in approval however as he observed the chaotic destruction. He wandered towards the floating rubble, picking a small piece of brick from the shattered building and stepping atop it. "Incredible," he almost said aloud, but stopped himself, instead choosing, "quite extra-ordinary." Slave she might have been, she could not know his astonishment.

Mephiles turned on his heel, balancing carefully on the rock as he spoke. "You may be the ghost I've been chasing after all." He leapt skillfully to a larger shard of the building, never skipping a beat as he talked and climbed ever higher into the hovering chaos. He stopped when he stood a solid five feet above her, and he crossed his legs and sat calmly amidst the nonsense. His eyes prodded her for more. "Of course, telekinesis is but a parlor trick compared to my skill. You have proven nothing."

Lyna smirked. Fine. Two could play at that game. If he wouldn't admit she had power, she would make him do so.

Without releasing the energy balance, she summoned seven pinpoints of pure chaotic energy, Chaos Spears, and shot them with such accuracy that she made the ruble he was sitting on collapse, her own version of getting back at him. She knew it was a stupid thing for her to do. If he wanted to punish, all he would have to do is tell her to hurt herself, grab a piece of glass and cut herself, and she would be powerless to stop him. But she still savored the one moment of watching him fall to the ground…

Mephiles tumbled backwards when he saw the bleeding energy materialize and beam towards him. The rock beneath him crumbled to ash as the burning light disintegrated the rubble, and the dark hedgehog tried to roll to his feet and nearly failed, instead stumbling to his knees and scraping away the skin as he slid. The black blood that seeped from his legs did not bother him, nor did he care to notice. All that he saw now were the girl's glimmering golden eyes. He snarled when he saw the joy within them that loved seeing him fall.

"Little fool," he said, even angrier knowing that she had vexed a response from him. "You will learn your place….but…I admit it; despite your unassuming shell, the insect inside does hold some venom, doesn't it?"

Lyna smirked. That was about as good as a response as she was going to get, so she'd take it. It was a small piece of satisfaction. She approached him and extended her arms, her power now healing his wounds over. She wasn't trying to please him. She was just doing what she was supposed to, and that was to follow orders and keep him safe.

Ugh. She prepared herself and almost winced at the anger and malice in his voice. But she wouldn't cringe and give him that satisfaction.

"I can do even more under specific commands," she said. "But I am limited. There is only so much energy I can use at one time." She brings forward her wrist to show that the gold rings that were around her wrist have turned slightly gray, as if they were filling up with a gray liquid. "When the rings fill with the gray that means I have reached my power limit and I must rest."

"Fascinating," Mephiles observed with genuine interest. His mind filled with evil glee when he imagined this girl without the restraining rings…but that was a task for another day.

The shadowy hedgehog turned his back on the girl, but never let his eyes leave her, as though he was afraid that she might vanish as quickly as she had arrived. And he would not lose a second time…that he vowed.

"So tell me, Lyna," he said, watching the still-floating rubble as though it were a flock of strange, rocky birds that would suddenly take flight. "Have you any experience in combat? And that little stunt of yours does not qualify as combat."

Lyna allowed the objects to return to their regular positions so she could focus more on what he was asking of her. "I suppose I am well-trained in combat. I use the powers I showed you, and others, to fight if asked or needed. But sparring with you right now would be pointless; I am bound to not be able to harm you or attempt to," she said, crossing her arms. "Even that 'stunt' with the rubble was cutting it close, I must admit."

Lyna felt his eyes watching her, like she was a bug under the microscope and she shuddered slightly, silently cursing herself for doing so.

Mephiles sensed the fear in this girl, but knew that beneath it was raw energy and rage. Hers was an ancient eye that had no doubt witnessed other masters, others far more unrelenting than he.

For a moment, he considered her. His eyes traveled up and down her body and watched her for a moment. While most certainly not an animal of uncontrollable might, she was powerful. But what surprised Mephiles was how…how human she was. Frankly, Lyna had not been at all what he had been expecting when he called upon the darker powers of chaos energy. He felt her hatred for him, felt the fear beneath it, and saw the ever-shifting aura she possessed because of it.

Lyna's eyes widened at his sudden change in tone and demeanor. His eyes looked her up and down with a new interest, one she couldn't identify. Just what was he doing? He knew now of the power that she possessed…what horrors was he going to make her do with it?

"You don't have to hate me," he finally said. He watched her gaze change as he spoke. "I'm not like the others….you don't need to be a slave."

She blinked as he stated she wouldn't have to hate him, that she didn't have to be…be a slave. She had always longed for freedom above all else, and even the simplest suggestion of not needing to be a slave brought a longing forth in her eyes that was as strong as Mephiles's hatred for Shadow.

Suddenly he was at her side quicker than either of them expected. His dull, unassuming, jade eyes turned electric and vibrant. Her power was much more useful as his own, not simply a tool for him to hold. He knew that if she gave into him, believed his lie, it would be his and his alone. Like Shadow should have been all that time ago. "Join me, Lyna."

Lyna almost yelped when he was suddenly at her side. He was far from being weak. She saw his eyes vibrate with energy and a hint of excitement as to what was to come. "J-join you? What do you mean? I don't have a _choice_," she said bitterly. He would never understand being born into captivity, having every fiber of your being live to serve and nothing move.

"Perhaps you didn't have a choice before," he spoke softly, hissing like a cobra, wrapping her in his words and binding her to his fingertips. "But now…here…"

Luna didn't know what was happening but her heart seemed to be thumping loudly against her chest and she suddenly felt overwhelmed by him. With him this close to her, she felt jumbled and strange….

He suddenly took her hand in his and squeezed. "…with _me_, you do…." Mephiles the Dark felt her heart lighting ablaze with the hellfire and passion that only someone born in bondage could feel. The smoke from the blazing heart smoked and burned, and he could almost feel its intensity stinging his eyes.

When he took her hand and she felt the coolness of it, it didn't feel bad actually. His words were like liquid honey. She knew she shouldn't trust him, she saw the hatred in his eyes before, and her instincts screamed at her to say no, to deny and least try, _try_ to disobey, but the promise of freedom….

"On my honor," he lied smoothly, knowing one wrong move could cause him to lose her forever, slave or not. If she knew that he was a man without any such honor, she would have never even considered it. "On my word, I will never force you to do anything you do not want to do."

The promise that Luna wouldn't have to do anything she didn't want to…she wanted that more than anything else. And here he was, offering it to her.

His fingers brushed her face, and he felt her skin go cold at his touch. "You need only say yes," he whispered.

"You…you promise?" she whispered back as his cold fingers brushed her cheek, making them turn slightly pink. The feeling both infuriated and infatuated her. She knew this was dangerous.

"With all of my heart," Mephiles said, his eyes lighting with a deep excitement and anxiety. There was no turning back. He had come so far, had done so much to attain the emerald, fought so hard for his sweet chance at vengeance…but now, it all rode on the response of a strange girl he had only just met. The thought tore at his soul just as her eyes tore through his own.

"I…." she swallowed nervously. Why was this any different than any other master she has had? Why did this thought both thrill and terrify her?

"I accept, Mephiles the Dark," she said, and took his hand.

And the deal with the devil was done.

Mephiles grinned and gently wound his fingers around hers. "Then together, Lyna," he spoke softly, but with the underlying ferocity of an untamed beast released from its prison. "Together."

Lyna felt the growl underneath the soft voice, like a caged beast just waiting to be released. She knew the feeling.

What was it that he wanted so badly? What was it that burned inside of him so? She wanted to know, but was afraid to ask. She was afraid to do anything right now. She held the promise and wanted to believe it was true…she…she had to believe. She had to hope of what was there for her. Whether she liked it or not, they needed each other. He needed her to accomplish his goals, and she needed him in order to survive until the pact was finished.

Then it was back into the crystal she went.

* * *

**Hey everyone! This is the first chapter to Darkness Incarnate; a collab I'm doing with ShadowWeasel, so if you like it be sure to show that to him to! Review and tell us what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Irony and Fate

Mephiles pushed aside the dual doors that stood in his way, twin planks of rotting oak that stank of the seaside air. He carried the emerald carefully, as though it was fragile as glass. The pink-purple aura that bled from its light lit the darkness of the warehouse, in all its lonely glory. He walked along the concrete floor with deliberate, sharp steps that echoed through the empty room and rang back into his ears.

He placed the gem upon an empty crate, long ago left to the cruel mistress of cobwebs and ruin.

Lyna followed him, her footsteps much softer. She looked around at the place, and it didn't take an expert to know that if Mephiles was calling this his home he wasn't very well off. But Lyna got the feeling that wealth was the LAST thing on his mind. He didn't seem like the kind of person that worried about things like that.

She noticed with a bit of relief how delicately he held the emerald. It was, after all, basically her. The emerald was weak now without her power in it, so it was easily broken. If it broke, she , like the emerald, would shatter and die.

Lyna sat down on the dusty floor cross-legged and looked up at him. "So. What is it that you are wanting of me, Mephiles?" she asked.

Mephiles turned to her. His eyes were aglow with the thought of vengeance, and his face seethed with anticipation.

"Years ago," he explained, his finger lingering on the sharp edges of the jewel as he spoke, "I was born into this world in the shadow of a man named Shadow the Hedgehog."

"You were born from the shadow of….Shadow?" She would have snickered if she hadn't have known she'd be punished for it. "So…you're seeking revenge on the person that basically created you?" she asked in confusion. This whole situation confused her. Mephiles confused her!

Mephiles didn't laugh. The cold irony of her words had once been amusing to him, but that was before he had been thwarted. Before Shadow had reduced hi into the hollow shell of the dark god he had once been. His heart flared with rage, but he refused to let it show.

"Yes," he said finally. "The shadow of Shadow; oh, how ironic fate can be."

He paused as he remembered how he had once cackled as he said that, but now he spoke it with dripping malice. "He did not create me. He merely spawned me from my prison. Much like your trapping in the emerald, I was once locked within an ancient scepter, before the seal was broken, and my body reborn."

His viridian eyes glared through hers. "But that is not why I seek vengeance."

Lyna listened to his words calmly and with attention. She really did want to know what it was the created so much hate in him.

If Shadow had freed him, what horrible thing could he have possibly done to exempt that act? However, she didn't ask any questions. She quietly waited for him to continue; her golden eyes watching his every move.

"I am Mephiles, originally the will and mind of the sun god Solaris," he continued, gesturing to the sky as he paced. He was lost in memory, almost forgetting that he was talking to another person. "For centuries, I have orchestrated a plan to reunite with my other, remaining half, called Iblis."

He paused and stared long and hard at the box beside him. His face twisted into a horrid look of agony and grief as he suddenly snarled, "But I was damned!"

His fist slammed into the wood and sent shudders through it. The sides of the crate snapped and spawned thin cracks like black lightning when his fists smashed through the top of the box. "Damned by that wretch who dares call me his shadow!"

Lyna's eyes were still looking at him, but they were not afraid. They were sad. "…I can't say I understand how you feel Mephiles," she said quietly. "Because I don't know what that's like. But I do know what it's like to be alone and want something so bad you would do anything to get it."

She sighed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she stood to face him. "So you want revenge on the person who prevented you from joining with the other half? Wouldn't you rather find the other half again?"

"Impossible," Mephiles answered, shockingly calm. He ran a hand over his face in exhaustion. "Iblis was erased from our timeline long ago."

He sighed and stared at the chaos emerald, admiring its many dimensions. He trailed lazily around the gem, encircling it with his shadowy energies. Purple-black rings of magic formed and distorted the air before him.

Lyna felt a little lightheaded as he stroked the emerald, surrounding it with his energy. It was as if she felt herself surround by that same energy.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Well then…I am sorry. I will help you accomplish your goals to the best of my ability," she told him.

She did not mention her own personal rule. She refused to kill anyone. Granted she wouldn't have a choice if he ordered her too but…he swore he wouldn't…

"Thank you," he told her in a moment of pure, genuine gratitude. Then his hand wrapped around the emerald, and he scooped the crystal into his palm and stared through its violet surface, Lyna's figure hazy and distorted. Her golden eyes seemed to pierce beyond the unearthly texture and even glow when they locked with his.

"My plan," he began, walking towards her as he spoke. He beheld the emerald to her in a movement that suggested she take it from him to look upon it for herself. "Do you know what power you hold in your hand, Lyna?"

She seemed hesitant, but she slowly picked it up and gazed into the crystal that was a part of her. Inseparable. One and the same. It was also her prison.

Lyna looked back up at Mephiles. "It's….my own power right?"

"More than that," he breathed with excitement, "so much more. With that emerald," he explained, pointing into the heart of her prison, "you hold the power of ALL seven."

Mephiles grinned with evil pleasure as he unveiled his plot. "Unbeknownst to many, with only one of the seven Chaos Emeralds, you have the ability to activate their special, reality-altering power. With that power, you can magnetize this emerald, drawing towards it the remaining six."

He resisted taking the emerald bak from her, as he knew that only she held such power. But his fingers spanned out like talons as he reached for it, appearing though he wished to warm his hands by its cold, fiery light. "You only need to think it, and it shall be yours."

Lyna's brow furrowed. Did he mean that she could draw forth the power of the other emeralds?! To create one powerful emerald?! There were others trapped in those emeralds like she was….if she brought all the power together, it would be destructive to no end.

She saw the hunger in his eyes, the thirst for power that coursed through his every being and she jerked back, clashing her hands around the emerald and away from his grasp. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry. But I will not do that. The power of one emerald will have to be enough to suffice you."

Mephiles's eyes widened in shock; they were horrified and absolute. He held back a growl, and his hands, clasped behind his back now, clenched so tightly into fists that they felt ready to explode into blood and bone. His jade eyes flared with fury, but he hid these emotions as well as the blood that was now seeping from his palms where his nails had broken the skin. "Very well…."

He wandered towards the crate methodically, his eyes now narrowed in profound thought. "Then I must devise another course of action." It took every fiber of self-control he had to not go back on his word and order her to do it anyway.

Lyna was trembling with fear when he stalked away. He may have kept a calm exterior, but anyone could see the rage and hatred boiling up in those eyes. When his back was to her, she sank down to her knees. Her heart was beating incredibly fast out of fear of him.

But….he had kept his word. Even with the hate, he had kept his word.

So.

"I….I can still help you find them," she stuttered. She looked down at the ground, avoiding his cold gaze that seemed to pierce through her. "I just don't want to combine the powers. It's dangerous. And destructive. But I CAN sense where the others are. If you'd like, I can take you to them. But…just so you know, it's impossible for one master to summon forth more than one being from the emeralds. It's like a…safety precaution." She shifted nervously after saying this.

Mephiles turned to her, making sure not to do so too eagerly. "Sense them?" He pondered, tapping his chin softly. "With the other emeralds…" he trailed off. His plans may not have solid form as they once had, but he knew that with the other six in his possession, it mattered not what plan he had. The power would be immense to the point of invincibility, coupled with the protection of Lyna….

"Yes," he said finally. "Take me to them. But we must move quickly." His eyes watched the air as though he suspected the dust particles of treachery. "It will not be long before the Sonic Heroes begin to sense my existence. Shadow shall be the first. But he will bring others to stop us."

Lyna let out a sigh of relief that he seemed to be satisfied by her finding the emeralds. She still thought that is wasn't right for one person to have that much power….and there was something else gnawing at the back of her mind, a feeling she wasn't sure was right.

Jealously? Was she _jealous_ that Mephiles wasn't satisfied with her power alone?

Ridiculous.

Lyna shook her head and stood. "Alright. I can tell you now that four of the emeralds, including myself, are in the possession of someone already. One of the others is in the nearby city and the last is in something with water? A lot of water. An ocean. Which would you like me to focus in on first?"

"Start with the city," Mephiles said with a decisive nod. It was closest, and he preferred not to confront an enemy so early on in his quest….especially an opponent with a chaos emerald. The ocean could come later.

Lyna nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel the energy like a pulse, or a beacon. "It's….in an alley?" This made her frown a bit that such a powerful item like the chaos emerald was in an alley behind some dumpster. Ugh. "It's dark. I can barely see. The emerald is the silver one."

"Wherever it is, we can use Chaos Control to arrive there without delay," Mephiles said as he placed a hand upon the emerald she held. "Shall you, or shall I?"

"Just tell me what to do, or you can do it," she said with a shrug. She let go of her emerald so that he would be holding it.

"Very well," he commanded, "Chaos Control to the location you have seen, Lyna."

Lyna closed her eyes and touched his hand; contact was required for the Chaos Control to work. His skin was icy cold.

"Chaos Control."

With a flash of purple light, they appeared in the dark alley. There was practically no light, and Lyna stumbled a bit. "I cannot see my own feet!"

Born in darkness, Mephiles saw perfectly fine, but he found Lyna and steadied her with his hand. In the other palm he produced a radiant purple glow, charging Chaos energy but keeping it perfectly balanced in order to create a torch.

"Lead," he ordered in his deep monotone, holding the light before them.

Lyna nodded, now able to see more as they walked down the alley. A rat scurried in front of them and she jumped a bit before continuing. She peered behind a dumpster to find a silver emerald lying on its side, apparently falling out of the dumpster at one point. "Now who on earth is stupid enough to throw this away?!" she scoffed and picked it up, handing it to Mephiles. "Here you go."

He accepted it cautiously, immediately wary of his surroundings. The shadows were excellent protection for the cowardly and the wicked. "This cannot be right," he murmured as he examined the gem, glancing around as he did so. "This feels….too easy."

"I agree but what-EEEEK!" Suddenly her sentence was cut off as a rope snagged around her and yanked her up into the air and into the claws of one of Eggman's giant robots.

"HEHEHEHE I'VE GOT YOU NOW SONIC I….wait….." The round mustached man leaned forward in the capsule set atop the robot that looked like a bigger version of himself. Complete with a giant metal mustache. "You're not Sonic!"

"PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Lyna screeched as she was being held in the claws. She struggled and tried repeatedly, to no avail, to blast her way out of the claws.

"Robotnik," Mephiles snarled. He stepped towards the robot fearlessly, fists clenched in anticipation. "Do not meddle with powers you do not understand."

He jabbed a finger at the bald man. "You will release her," he demanded, "NOW."

Mephiles was in no mood to deal with petty villains such as Eggman. But if he refused his will…

Eggman grinned deviously. "My my Mephiles, I didn't know you were still present in this time…if this girl's got your attention it's not because of her looks-"

"I beg your pardon!" Lyna shouted again, but he talked over her.

"It's because of something else…power? Her levels of energy are similar to a Chaos Emerald…you know what Mephiles, on second thought, I'll KEEP her! If she's so interesting to you, then she must be interesting to me!" Eggman laughed loudly, throwing his head back while he did so.

Meanwhile, Lyna started to glow as she got madder and madder. "Mephiles…if you don't do something I'm going to blow this entire robot apart," she snarled.

"You may do as you wish, Lyna," Mephiles replied calmly as he drew upon the power of the two emeralds now in his possession. His eyes gleamed scarlet. "You have my permission."

His body suddenly distorted and warped into a cloud of violet darkness. The Chaos Emeralds glowed their respective colors; one ghastly purple eye and one chalky white eye glaring in the black.

"But first…."

Mephiles teleported swiftly upon the android's humongous, mechanical arm, landing with the grace of a dancer upon the mighty limb. He threw his head back so he could lock eyes with the giant, glowing eyes fixed into the face of the cockpit.

"Tremble in the dark!" he roared at the stunned doctor as an explosion of black Chaos magic imploded around him, obliterating the metal appendage and disintegrating the steely fingers around Lyna. Chrome and gunmetal warped into rust and decy as the darkness spread like a fast-travelling disease up the arm, its vine-like tendrils constricting and chocking the sparkling, wiry mess until the robot's right arm was completely gone. Only ash remained as Mephiles and Lyna landed upon the ground beneath them, Mephiles's steely air shoes landing with a sharp clang as Eggman sputtered in disbelief.

"Imp-impossible!" he blabbered, sweat raining down his brow.

The entire instance had happened so fast, Lyna's body was still tensed up and ready to release the energy against Eggman. In what seemed like only a second, dark energy had poured from him and Lyna was freed. Her mouth opened in pure shock and amazement at his powers. They easily could equal her own with those emeralds!

For a moment she wasn't sure what to do now that the real threat had been taken care of and she was free. She glanced at Mephiles out of the corner of her eyes, and then raised her hands, firing numerous chaos spears simultaneously to rip apart the remaining part of the robot.

Eggman, in a panic, tried to eject the capsule and escape, and Lyna ceased her firing to let him do so, having no intention of hurting him.

"You insolent worms!" he howled as the pod rocketed into the sky. "I will not forget this!"

Mephiles watched him fly, fascinated by the round man's insistence. He would have killed him, but felt no need to do so, as he was no more a threat to him than an insect.

"I do not think we've seen the last of him," he told Lyna, turning to her once the doctor had fled. "He somehow mistook you for Sonic the Hedgehog; another one of the group who foiled me, along with Shadow."

Lyna sighed. "I think the emerald was set as a trap to lure this Sonic. Instead we found it first. I assume he was arrogant and just assumed Sonic would fall into his trap and instead it was me. I'm sorry I was not more alert." She bows apologetically. She hated this feeling, but was genuinely sorry.

But she….she was _fascinated _by his power earlier. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Maybe if he got all of the emeralds then maybe…just maybe….he could have the power to free her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Dangerous Dance

"All right, where to next?" Lyna asked. She looked down at her rings to see that only a fifth of the gold had filled with grey. She still had a lot of energy to go.

Mephiles pondered her question for a moment. "What of the four emeralds?" he asked. "Which of them is nearest to us?"

Lyna closed her eyes again, trying to pinpoint the closest location. "It's a club in the city. The person holding it is female. A bat. She's got the emerald in her hands and seems to be admiring it. Does that sound like anyone you know?" she asked, her eyes opening to look at his. She wondered what he was thinking about beyond those green eyes.

The dark hedgehog's eyes glimmered with mild amusement as he recalled the vain bat from so long ago. Rouge, he believed her name had been. "Indeed it does," he replied vaguely, chuckling as he did so. "We should go there. But do not warp us inside. We must be more cautious than before. Once we are there, I will tell you my plan."

Lyna nodded and touched his arm again, warping them to a street across from the club and in the shadows. She looked across at the bustling noises and flashing lights, watching the laughing people go in and out, most of them couples. She was almost caught up in the daydream of what it would be like to be a normal person in this time…

She turned to Mephiles. "What is your plan?"

He looked at her with a mischievous smile on his face. "To find the bat, we must first blend with the crowd," he said and linked his arm with hers. "You will lead, and I will tell you when I see her."

He was smiling, but he suddenly retracted his arm slightly. He couldn't force her to do anything. "Shall we?" he asked politely, outstretching his arm.

The sun was setting in the distance, casting long, crimson shadows onto the ground beneath their feet. The flickering neon of Club Rouge silhouetted the two figures, and the deep, booming bass noise vibrated through their bodies.

Lyna smiled at his gesture to let her choose what she wanted to do. She linked her arm back with his, finding her cheeks turning pink, which she quickly threw away the feelings that came with them. She nodded to him.

Lyna, arm in arm with Mephiles, headed towards the club as the sun disappeared into the earth and the shadows it cast developed into the darkness of night. They slipped into the club practically unnoticed, and stuck to the dark corners to avoid attention. With so many pulsing lights and sounds, it was nearly impossible to focus on the exact location of the emerald. She just knew it was somewhere in the club, so she had to rely on Mephiles to point out the bat Rouge when he saw her.

Dancers swayed like willow trees and music thrummed the strings of Mephiles's muscles. He felt every beat of the deep bass. His eyes scanned the chaos. Brightly-colored drinks and shiny glasses glared in the darkly lit room. Up above them, a second story stood; a sort of VIP lounge filled with couches, suit-and-tie wearers, and dress-squeezed figures that laughed and drank merrily. There were poles there as well, each adorned with a different girl of a different race, color, and species to satisfy the palette of even the pickiest of scum.

That was all they were, Mephiles thought as he watched the drunken-ness around him. Scum.

That was when he spied the telltale pair of aqua irises gleaming in the distance darkness; a curvaceous figure adorned with sparkling jewelry on her neck, ears, and fingers. The brightest of all, however, was the glimmering, sea-blue emerald in her palm. Mephiles's eyes focused on the emerald, observing its sheen as painted fingers daintily clawed at its finely-cut surface. The bat was toying with it.

Lyna's nose wrinkled in disgust as she looked around. The smell of alcohol made her want to gag, and combined with the smell of sweat from the numerous dancing bodies made it unbearable. The women were so scantily clad it was hard to tell often times if they wore anything at all. She noticed Mephiles's equal disgust.

"Look above," he said, pretending not to watch the playful way in which Rouge touched the gem, the way it infuriated him.

Lyna glanced at where he gestured and she saw a pearly white bat toying with the turquoise blue emerald. Lyna was appalled. Jewelry?! The bat was using a powerful artifact that held a powerful being like herself for _jewelry_?!

"That is the most disdainful disgrace of a figure I have ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on!" she scoffed.

Mephiles nodded in agreement. "Somehow, we must make our way closer…but how to do so without being noticed?" If the bat-girl spotted him, she would no doubt flee.

Lyna looked around. Using her powers was out of the question with so many people around. She wouldn't even be able to use them for a distraction.

Unless…

"I've got an idea," she said, and took his hand and melted into the crowd. She winced as their bodies brushed far too close against other couples, and one wolf even had the audacity to try and grab her butt, but she caught him and gave him such a glare he ran off yelping.

She spotted a couple and casually brushed her hand across their arms as they passed by, and soon Lyna and Mephiles had taken on their appearance. "Will this suffice?"

Mephiles stared in wonder at the transformation, at its suddenness. But he was greatly pleased. "Yes," he murmured. "This will work nicely."

He locked his eyes on the stairway to the VIP section, where a heavyset echidna guarded the door. Black, glossy glasses met with green orbs of fire. "He will not let us through so easily," he remarked, "despite our appearance."

"Dispose of him," he ordered as they nonchalantly approached.

Lyna nodded, getting the feeling that was a real order, but she wasn't sure. Regardless, as they approached the guard, she had an idea in mind.

"You're not allowed past," the guard snarled, and Lyna casually reached her hand out. It seemed as though a violent energy was being extracted from him, and the guard suddenly groaned and collapsed. Lyna clenched her fist, and the energy disappeared. "He'll be out cold for several hours."

"Excellent," Mephiles commented as they stepped over his limp form. "We will only need several minutes."

They climbed the stairs and arrived at the center of the room, and they could spy the ivory bat from where they stood. Her cushy chair was not positioned in the middle of the club, but back into the wall, where it appeared she leaned into the shadows and observed her night-world with eyes the color of the sky. But her attention constantly shifted from the emerald to her surroundings, leaving her open to a surprise attack. However, the multitude of security guards was sure to alert her of any suspicious activity. Namely shape shifting rogues on the search for Chaos Emeralds.

Lyna tried to act natural. "What should we do?" she murmured softly to him. They had to act quickly, as they looked out of place simply standing in the middle of the dance floor.

"We dance," he answered simply, taking her by the hand and leading a very sudden and awkward stride forward. They would blend in quite easily doing so, and would in turn approach the unsuspecting Rouge undetected. "Do you know how?"

Lyna stumbled at first as it caught her completely off guard. "I…I know a bit but likely not anything that would fit with this crowd…" she stuttered.

Lyna only knew classical dances, since the last time she was released was during that era. Ballroom dances and such. She could picture Mephiles dancing quite gracefully to such dances…

Was she blushing again?! She mentally cursed herself. It was absurd, ridiculous, and childish. She hoped the flashing lights masked it.

Mephiles took one step forward, two steps back, three steps forward, one step back, in an odd swaying motion as they twirled through the mob. Occasionally, the dark hedgehog would dip his partner's head back, then scoop her up again and continue. Lyna was easily getting into the rhythm of the dance with Mephiles taking the lead, following his steps and swaying her body as she had seen others do earlier. He grinned at her in the flashing, hot-pink and green lights that flickered from every angle. "You dance quite well," he allowed himself to remark as they gracefully made their way deeper into the heart of darkness. "If you do not mind my saying so."

Lyna blushed again but quickly hid her embarrassed expression. "I highly doubt you're the kind of person who cares 'if I mind it' Mephiles," she murmured as he dipped her. With the flashing lights and pulsing music, it was easy to get caught up in the intensity and emotion of everything…and Mephiles was far from unattractive.

He reminded her of a snake that was stalking its prey. It slithered to and fro in the darkness with grace and ease, and with powerful eyes that pierced through its victim's with a stare that could paralyze. Similar to the way he was looking at her now.

But the moment was cut short as they finally reached the place where Rouge sat, atop her throne of rosy lies, cloaked in the tainted thorns in the shapes of men. "Prepare yourself," he warned as they came ever closer. "I'm going to dip you down again, but this time, on the way up, I will hurl you over my head. With my back turned the guards will never guess that you will attack, let alone from the air."

He slowly lowered her until her hair touched the floor. His eyes sparred with hers as he whispered, "Are you ready?"

Lyna nodded as he dipped her, her golden eyes gleaming crystal clear. "Ready," she said as she tensed her body in preparation to be thrown.

"Leave the bat to me," he issued one last guideline as he hurled her end-over-end into the air behind him; her somersaulting form was a blur in the dim glow of neon.

As she catapulted through the air, she summoned bars of chaos energy around her arms, as if they themselves were swords. They wouldn't cut or hurt her opponents, but everywhere the swords "touched" would drain her opponent of energy. Right as they finished forming, she slammed on top of a guard and launched towards another.

One dancer saw her attacking and screamed, but she had already taken out half of the guards by then, practically a blur as she moved gracefully from one opponent to the next. In a way, she mimicked her own form of dancing as she twisted and looped between their attacks and stuck her arms to and fro.

Rouge's eyes were suddenly wide open with shock as she realized she was being attacked. But she had no time to react before a dark voice caught her attention.

"Rouge the bat," Mephiles greeted with an elegant bow as Lyna fought the remaining guards. Ignoring the violence, or moreover, embracing it. "It is a shame we must meet once more on such…unfortunate terms."

Rouge's eyes flashed with fear at the sight of this powerful and pure evil entity before her. She had thought he was long gone. She couldn't find the words to speak, and didn't even know what she would say if she could.

Finally, she feigned annoyance and her eyes narrowed with a smirk playing out of her lips. "My my, if it isn't the little dark raincloud that just won't disappear. I thought for sure you had been 'snuffed out' with the little flame," she says coyly. "Who's your new friend that's doing your work for you?"

Mephiles did not allow himself to be irked by her words. "Far from dead, dearest," he reassured. "The girl is Lyna. You will find her to be quite adept in the dispatching of your 'men,' if you could call them such things."

He strode towards her, stepping up onto her platform and displaying his empty palm. "I am here for your emerald. I suggest you let me relieve you of it." His fingers flexed in a gesture that suggested she place the gem into his hand. "Now."

Rouge frowned. "I'm not giving up the emerald that easily." She outstretched her wings and was prepared to kick off into the air but Lyna appeared behind her. She grabbed her wings, preventing them from moving with her unique energy.

"Finished with the guards," Lyna said, and gestured to the nearly twenty unconscious and groaning men behind her.

Rouge, meanwhile, shrieked. "I can't feel my wings!"

"Oh shut up," Lyna said, rolling her eyes. "It's only temporary. Now give us the emerald before we take it by force."

Rouge scowled. She didn't want to give up the precious jewel she had to practically beg Shadow for…he had two, and she wanted one! He would be furious with her when she told him she lost it. And not just to anyone, but to _Mephiles!_

The bat's shifty blue eyes darted to and fro, concocting a plan as she backed away a step. Then her gaze gleamed with defiance as she held the emerald high. "You want this?"

Mephiles's body tensed; an instinctual reaction as he watched the precariously held jewel. "Do not do anything foolish," he warned.

"Foolish?" she asked with a wry chuckle, thinking it a joke. Her foot suddenly slammed backwards and onto Lyna's, her heel digging into her foot before she leapt skyward, her wings flapping uselessly as she went. "Rouge the bat never does anything foolish!"

"Ugh!" Lyna cried out as Rouge slammed backwards into her, temporarily knocking her backwards.

Rouge flipped end-over-end, back flipping gracefully into a lone and abandoned stripper's-pole. Her palms wrapped around the steel as she flew without flight. Her momentum swung her around and around, and she tossed the emerald into the air as she released her grip and hurled herself at Mephiles.

But the dark hedgehog did not notice her as he watch the gem spiral towards him, and he held out his hands to catch it just as Rouge's heels slammed into his belly and sent him hurtling over the railing with a crash as the metal barrier snapped into pieces. Mephiles tumbled to the floor below with yet another bang as a table beneath him shattered to bits of wood and glass.

Lyna struggled to her feet, and gasped, clutching her heart as words pounded inside of her head.

_do not let the master get hurt do not let the master get hurt do not let the master get hurt_

Her eyes opened with a blood filled rage. She glanced down at her rings. She had used a lot of energy. She only had about a fourth of the energy left. Lyna stood and popped her knuckles and neck. It would do.

Lyna jumped backwards, sealing the gravity around her feet so she stuck sideways on the wall for a moment before propelling herself forward with incredible speed and momentum. She slammed into Rouge, knocking her back and sending her crashing into the stripper poles.

"You little…brat," Rouge panted, noticing her bloodshot irises. The pole behind her shuddered from the force from which her spine had connected with it, and her backbone seemed to shudder equally. "You'll pay for that…"

She swirled around the pole, leaping to another one farther away, and then regaining her footing on the ground and sprinting for the tables. Her feet moved in a flurry of leg motions quick as lightning as she kicked a chair in Lyna's direction, sending it whistling towards her. Then another, and then one more.

When she felt the cover-fire of furniture was a sufficient distraction, she threw herself over the railing and landed onto the fallen hedgehog below.

Lyna used three spears to counteract the chairs and ran to follow Rouge over the railing. "Get off of him!" she snarled and barreled into her, knocking her off of him. Lyna grabbed Rouge and hurled her through the bar that was previously selling beverages for her clients but was now completely empty. That didn't mean it hurt any less.

While Rouge was distracted, Lyna bent down and looked at Mephiles's wounds, wincing. That was going to take a lot of healing. She looked down at her rings again. She was going to have to wrap this up quick.

Lyna summoned chaos spheres around her hands and strolled over to Rouge, her golden eyes glaring down at her. "You have no idea what power you're playing with….give me the emerald or I'll break my rule of not killing anyone just this one time!" she growled.

"Emerald, deary?" Rouge teased. She struggled to her feet, somehow maintaining her elegant composure despite the aching pain. "Which one?"

Her hands fanned out in front of her as she revealed not one, but _three_ gleaming Chaos Emeralds in her possession. The bat grinned wickedly and wagged a finger at the recovering Mephiles. "Greedy, greedy," she scolded. "Having this many jewels and not sharing? Oh, you disappoint me…"

Mephiles stood weakly, his eyes wide with shock as he registered the theft. "Damn you!" he roared when he spied the gems. "You filthy thief!"

Lyna's eyes widened when she saw that Rouge had the purple emerald. She knew how fragile it was in this state, but the bat surely didn't.

"G-give those back!" she said, unable to keep the panic from her voice. "Now!" Lyna lunged forward, grasping for the purple one first.

Rouge sprung backwards, flinging the three emeralds into the air above and rolling onto the countertop. Mephiles ran with Lyna, lunging but missing as the gems tumbled through the shadows. Rouge turned on her back and, using her wrists as springs, catapulted herself after the jewels, somersaulting as she snatched the blue one from the air. Her foot flicked out and knocked the purple emerald away.

Mephiles nearly gasped when he saw Lyna's life support go hurtling towards the earth. He quickly abandoned his course and kicked himself off of a barstool, falling backwards and colliding with the violet jewel and catching it just before it crashed to the ground. He landed hard on his chin, with enough force to rattle his teeth and brain, but he did not mind.

"The bat, Lyna, focus on the bat!" he directed as he tucked the purple gem close to his heart.

Lyna's heart nearly stopped when she saw the only thing keeping her alive sail through the air. She had never really feared death before, but now she thought that it was surely about to be with her.

Then she saw Mephiles launch himself forward to catch it, regardless of his own health, and tucked it close to him to keep it safe. It was….noble?

Lyna turned back towards the bat. She inhaled deeply, clearing her mind of her fears from before. She was safe. Mephiles had the emerald. She needed to focus on defeating their enemy.

Her eyes opened. She knew what to do. She quickly used Chaos Control to appear behind the bat, punching her hard enough to send her towards the ground, but before she collided, Lyna used Chaos Control again to teleport beneath her and this time sending her crashing into the back wall. Lyna wrenched the silver emerald from her grasp, tossing it back to Mephiles, and then summoned forth energy around her hands to create a Chaos Blast. The light and energy grew stronger and stronger, and she used part of her other energy to force Rouge to the ground so she couldn't run.

"Last chance bat!" Lyna shouted as the glowing intensified to an almost blinding light. She felt a searing pain in her wrists, a warning that she was almost out of energy, but she ignored it.

Rouge struggled uselessly against her magical grip, panting and gasping, eyes desperately searching for a way out. But she knew there was none. Not this time.

"I…" she struggled to say the words, "I…alright, alright, I give up."

She presented the blue emerald, glowing softly with energy. "Here. Take it already."

Lyna dropped her hands, letting the energy fade away. She snatched the emerald before she could try anything funny and surged a chaos power through Rouge, knocking her unconscious for a bit.

Panting, Lyna turned back to Mephiles and approached him. "Are…are you alright?"

"I am fine," he declared, brushing the dust and bits of glass off his fur. He stared for a while at the emerald in his hands, her would-be home had it not been for him, and then he tucked it away with the others. "This encounter was…much more problematic than I originally anticipated."

Lyna sighed. She looked tired. More accurately, exhausted. "Come on. I've got enough energy to teleport us back to the warehouse and heal most of your wounds, but that's it for a bit I'm afraid."

She ran a hand through her hair, shaking out the little debris and dust that had fallen on it during the fight. It was intense, and not what she had been expecting, but it could have been a lot worse. She winced when she remembered the fear she had felt when she saw her emerald tumbling through the air. If Mephiles hadn't have been there….

She shook her head.

**Hurray! Chapter 3 is up and at 'em! Please review and tell us what you think so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Sleepless Dreams

Lyna teleported them both back to the warehouse that they were currently residing in. She checked herself over quickly to reveal a bruise on her knee, a couple scrapes on her arms, and a really sore shoulder. But she could wait. Lyna turned to Mephiles. "Sit down so I can heal your wounds," she instructed, crossing her arms. She had a feeling he would put up a fight for some reason, but before she could rest she had to heal him. Even if she herself was barely standing on her own two feet.

Mephiles noted the drooping, bruised shoulder. The scrapes that bled scarlet flowers on her arms. Her blackening knee. "No," he told her firmly, glancing to her eyes now, staring her down. He was certain the stubborn girl would put up a fight.

"Ugh, why?!" she asked with a scowl. "You know I need to heal you!" She uncrossed and crossed her arms again, her gaze softening. "Please? I….I can't rest or heal myself until you're healed. So please let me heal you," she said, trying to lie smoothly. She knew that if she healed him she would have no energy left to heal herself, but she didn't care. He had gotten far more injured than she had.

And…she felt a little indebted to him. He had saved her life after all by diving for the emerald. He could have easily just let it crash to the ground. It would have hindered his plans, but he had gotten hurt defending her. She hated unsettled debts. Even small ones like this.

Mephiles watched her gaze. The way it softened so smoothly. The sound of her lying so easily. "Do not lie to me," he said calmly, "Your injuries are far worse than my own. My own body can wait. Yours, however, I am doubtful." He gently uncrossed her arms with his fingers, prying them apart like they had been glued together. "Heal yourself. Only afterwards will you heal me," then he added, "That is an order."

Instantly her body stiffened like she was caught under a spell she couldn't ignore. She scowled at him, fury in her eyes. She jerked her hands free and spun around on her heal to stalk across the room. She sat against the corner and started to heal herself, mumbling angrily the whole time.

After a few minutes or so, her healing was completed, but she was out of energy. And once she was out of energy, she almost immediately fell asleep, still propped up against the back wall.

Mephiles almost smirked when he saw her storm off into a corner to heal herself; her actions childish and amusing. And when he saw her sleepy, restless form crumpled against the wall, he allowed himself a small smile. Her energy had been depleted; the rings on her wrists told him that much. He admired her loyalty, however forced, to her master. Some small part of him felt guilty that she was his slave, no matter what he said.

But he steeled himself against such emotions. Vengeance. Centuries of planning wasted because of Shadow the Hedgehog; he had to remain focused.

His jade eyes flickered to her tired body. He swallowed a little and looked away. No matter how tempting doing otherwise might have been.

Mephiles leaned back into the crate behind him and slid to the floor. He closed his eyes but did not sleep; his ability to do so had vanished long ago. Instead, he simply rested his eyelids and stared into the darkness, thinking of the three emeralds in his possession. The four left he had to obtain. The girl who was helping him find them.

He shook his head and drifted into the abyss of insomnia. Half-dream, half-hell.

Lyna sighed in her sleep, dreaming of a time where she could be truly free and part of her wishing she never had to wake up. Wishing she never had to wake up to a world where the word "no" didn't exist in her dictionary, where others told her what to do and she didn't have the sweet luxury of even considering not doing it. She doubted such a thing existed for her, no matter how much she wished it to be true.

Her thoughts drifted to Mephiles. He was different than the other masters she had had…much different. Not in his goals, no, she was used to tales of vengeance and revenge, greed and the thirst for power. What was different about Mephiles was the fact that he wasn't completely in awe of her power. He was smug and arrogant and looked down at everyone as if they were tiny ants and he was a god. Lyna wasn't sure why that made him so different, but it did. If anything else, it provided a little more excitement…

Lyna awoke late next morning with a sleepy yawn and rubbed her eyes awake. She stretched and stood, rubbing her neck a bit. Sleeping on that wall was uncomfortable…

She walked over to Mephiles to see if he was awake, and she honestly couldn't tell. His eyes were closed, but she didn't get the impression that she was sleeping. She felt like at any moment he would open his eyes and know she was standing there the whole time. She felt rude staring so she turned her gaze away and checked over his wounds to see if they still needed healing. Her rings were full gold, and she felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

Lyna decided to wait for him to wake up, and walked over to one of the warehouse windows that wasn't completely boarded up. She listened to the birds and started humming a melody softly and absentmindedly while she stared out the window.

Mephiles was lulled from his nightmare realm by the humming noise. Lyna's melodic voice. His eyelids cracked open, his jade irises gleaming from his half-closed eyes. He felt himself smile at a tune he didn't recognize.

But he stopped himself. His eyes opened fully now, and he rose solemnly to his feet. He gently cleared his throat.

Lyna turned, stopping her humming. "You're awake! How are your wounds? Did you sleep well?" she asked, walking back over to him.

"I slept fine," he answered with a wry smile. He didn't believe that it was in her duties to check how he slept. Plus, he hadn't been sleeping. But she needn't know that. "My wounds have healed quite well on their own. Perhaps we should embark? What is our closest target?"

Lyn bit back a scowl. Here she was, trying to make a casual conversation, but all he was interested in was more violence and fighting and reaching whatever shallow minded goals he might have. She was trying to be nice by asking if she needed to heal him, but he had brushed her off like she were just some bothersome child.

She looked away from him so he wouldn't see her annoyance. "The one near the ocean is the closest to us currently. Should I take us there?"

Mephiles cocked his head when she turned hers. Had he said something wrong? "What is the matter?"

Lyna sighed. "Nothing. I just…" she swallowed almost childishly. "I just wanted to help is all, but it looks like you didn't need any…" She pouted her lips like a child and avoided his gaze. She didn't want to feel worthless. He barely even needed her!

He smiled at her reaction. "I meant no offense," he said, thinking to himself how cute she looked when she pouted like that. "I appreciate your offer for assistance, but I simply do not require it at the moment."

His finger curled and gently turned her head towards him, locking eyes with her. He put his hand beneath her chin and forced her to stare back at him. "It is nothing to pout about," he teased with a fanged grin.

The close proximity of their faces made Lyna's cheeks turn a bright pink. She couldn't help but think that his eyes were absolutely hypnotizing and that grin made her cheeks flush even more.

"U-u-um…" she stuttered unintelligently, suddenly unable to form any words. "M….maybe we should…ah…g-get going…"

"Of course," he said, loving the amber tone of her face as she blabbered. "To the ocean we go, then. Will you do the honors?" He held the Chaos Emerald to her, gesturing for her to put her own hand upon it.

Lyna nodded, focusing on the task ahead and not…whatever else was in front of her at the moment. She didn't have words to explain it.

* * *

**Chapter 4 is up and ready! Hurray! This is a shorter chapter, but that's because the next chapter is going to be super long and intense, so consider this the calm before the storm ;) Please review and thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Cerulean Seas

She put her hand on the emerald and at once they were warped away from the warehouse. When they next opened their eyes, they were greeted by crystal blue waters, white sands, palm trees, and warm sunlight. There was not a cloud in the sky, and a few seagulls called from above. On top of that, most of the beach was completely empty except for a few sunbathers and surfers.

Lyna smiled bright upon seeing the blue waves. She wished she had time to swim…

The white glare of sunlight and sand nearly blinded the dark hedgehog when they reappeared, and he immediately utilized the back of his hand as a shield for his eyes. Casting a small shadow on his face, he squinted around in search of any life, aside from the obnoxious gulls and obvious fish that inhabited the waves beyond. "Can you feel where the emerald is?"

Lyna closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she concentrated. "I think...it's...in a tide pool. It's low tide right now, we'll need to hurry before high tide comes or the emerald might be swept out to see," she said.

She sees him shielding his eyes, but she herself can't help but bask in the glow. "What's wrong?"

"It's..." he caught her staring at him curiously and tucked his hand away, struggling to explain and stare into the brightness. "It's nothing. Just a little brighter than I'm used to is all."

He shook his head and looked to Lyna. "Lead the way."

Lyna nodded sympathetically. She could tell he preferred and dwelled in darkness above light. That seemed like a terribly sad and lonely way to live…

She shook her head and led him along the sand, trying to stick to shadier parts but that's hard to do on the beach. Eventually they reach a cliffside, with deep tidepools underneath. "Are you okay with getting a little wet?" she asked, taking off her shoes.

He paused and seriously considered that question. He was born in the form of Shadow the hedgehog, and Shadow could not swim. Would this affect him as well? He shook his head at the thought. Getting wet wasn't the same as swimming.

He slipped off his air shoes and placed them on the sand. Those he knew for certain could not get wet. "Right," he said with a nod. "Let's go."

Lyna nods. "We'll have to wade through a bit to get there, probably up to our knees. If we're quick we shouldn't have to swim back," she says, not realizing the danger that held for him. She had no problems swimming, and assumed that he wouldn't either.

She started to wade through the water, pleasantly warmed by the sun, and reached the rocky tide pools that were swarming with a different kind of life: crustaceans and starfish and mussels.

Mephiles stepped into the water, shivering at the contact. He ground his teeth together as he followed. I'm Mephiles the Dark, he told himself as he began to wade into the indigo waves. Water does not frighten the likes of me.

He felt his bare feet land once or twice upon a sharp shard of rock or oceanic debris, sending a jolt through his body and causing him to jump. He cursed himself for it, but pressed on reluctantly.

Lyna noticed his skittishness and jumpiness. Was Mephiles scared of water? Maybe he couldn't swim…

Part of her felt spiteful for being enslaved and wanted to go slower, to make him swim back and watch him suffer just to prove to herself that he was just as normal as the rest of them.

But...most of her felt bad. Everyone was scared of something, even dark vengeance-filled hedgehogs with gigantic egos. She turned to him over her shoulder. "Why don't you wait here and look in these upper tidepools?" she asked, offering him a clear way out from going any deeper.

"Yes," he answered too quickly, mentally slapping himself for showing such absurd weakness. "I-... yes, that's a fine idea. We can... cover more ground that way."

He cleared his throat and began to comb the shallow waters, refusing to lock eyes with Lyna after something so embarrassing. Ridiculous. Afraid of the ocean…

His green eyes bled into the seafoam color of the water as he scanned the sand beneath the surface, finding little more than seashells and fragments of colorful coral.

was quiet, she didn't want him to feel like she was humiliating or pitying him. She got down to the the lower sections of the tides, finding a cute blue starfish. The water was now up to her upper chest but she didn't seem to mind. She tried to think of a way to casually make him feel better.

"I like the ocean," she started. "No matter what time or what happens...the ocean always stays the same. Fire..." she gulped instinctively. "Fire is the one thing that terrifies me beyond all else," she admits. She hoped that he would see this as an equal ground offer.

"Fire?" he asked. He found the statement ironic; his other half had been quite literally a raging inferno. "Why... why would fire scare you?"

He reached into the depths and yanked a pearl-colored shell from the sand, brushing away the sand and admiring the way it gleamed in the sunlight. Pink-white rays danced in the sparkling glow of the sea. When he held it beneath his head, hid it in shadow and darkness, it appeared violet, almost dark purplish in color. Peculiar.

It reminded him a bit of her…

when we are forced to return to the emeralds, after our masters have completed their goals," she says softly. "We are engulfed in fire. We...we die. We are reborn when the next person summons us." Lyna swallowed and tried to stop her hands from trembling. When she was resummoned, she never had burn marks. She couldn't smell the smoke or the ash, but she remembered every second of the pain. Every second.

"Found it!" she said suddenly as she noticed something gleaming beneath the sand. She dove under the water momentarily, and when she emerged was clutching the dark blue emerald. She started to swim back to him but did not notice the large wave heading it. The wave that, at the speed it was traveling, would crash into her and slam her against the rocks.

"... that sounds..." Mephiles trailed off and turned to face her. His eyes flew open as a sudden feeling, something abrupt overcame him when he saw the giant wave rolling towards Lyna. Fear. Shock. He could only describe it as a horrid plummeting feeling in his chest, like his heart had fallen into his stomach.

"Look out!" he shouted, not thinking as he dove forward and into her path, his back to the wall of jagged rocks behind them. The wave fell to earth with a titanic crash, hurling the two into the craggy barrier with a wet smack. Mephiles wrapped his arms around Lyna as the watery danger hit, and he felt white-hot agony surge through his back as rock dug into his skin. But Lyna was safe.

His eyes filled with saltwater, and he tasted blood. How deep had the rock gone in?

The two tumbled onshore, the leftover waves shoving them away like garbage. Mephiles laid quietly on his back, his eyes locked with the sun above. He felt Lyna somewhere nearby, but he wasn't sure where... close.

Lyna turned just in time to see the wave inches from her face and it was like time had slowed to a crawl. She could see every droplet, every speck of sea foam. The tide had come in fast. She knew that this wave was big. It would crash into her and she would slam against the rocks like a rag doll, beat helplessly until she was bloody and likely dead. She was going to die. She didn't want to die. She faintly heard Mephiles's voice in the background and closed her eyes, knowing there was nothing she could do in time.

She felt the salty wave slam into her with the force of a truck, but she felt herself land against something much softer than hard rocks. She was confused and the water kept slamming into her, again and again. She felt strong arms wrap around her, holding her so that she didn't crash into the rocks. Lyna tried to raise her head to gulp in air but saltwater filled her lungs instead and she gagged, coughing up the water but unable to get a good breath before another wave slammed into her again.

She felt herself get tossed too and fro. And then it slowed to a gradually stop. She felt sand beneath her. Had she washed up on shore? Was she...alive? She opened her eyes, coughing up remains of sea water and salt and gagging, gasping to fill her lungs with oxygen. Then she saw Mephiles' limp and bloody form beside her. Her eyes widened and she almost screamed as she grabbed him. She pulled him out of the water and the waves and set his form in her lap, blood quickly pooling out from his back. She felt a sharp rock dug into him. She needed to heal him...but it would hurt…

Mephiles' eyes fluttered open, but not all the way. He could feel the draining sensation in his spine, like gallons upon gallons of... of something was rushing from his body. What could be leaving him so fast...? Blood? The feeling was like a thick, boiling waterfall, each cascade numbing him more than the last.

Yes, he thought to himself, swallowing hard but involuntarily spitting red and black. It was indeed blood.

The sand was speckled with his fluid, and the pearly particles of earth sparkled like scarlet, ebony, and golden gemstones. He recalled the seashell he had held before the wave had hit. How he wished he had it now. He'd give it to Lyna now, before he died. He knew he was going to die. He gave in to the darkness he had known all his life and felt himself fading upon something soft.

Lyna started to heal him, hoping that she could take his mind off of the pain... She gently touched his back near the wound, and a soothing golden light seemed to fill him up and seal the wounds, healing the pain and removing the injuries. She had to work fast, he was losing too much blood…

She saw his eyes flutter open and closed. She needed him to stay awake…

"Mephiles," she said softly. "Can you hear me?" She tried to keep her hands from trembling in fear that she wouldn't heal him in time. Why was she so scared? Why...why did she care so much? Lyna started to hum the melody from before to him, trying to help with the pain as she moved from his spine to putting her hands on his head to heal any concussions, letting the warm light drape over his body. She sang a piece of a song she knew, a soothing piece from somewhere long ago…

_~Though the days may seem so dark… the sun will always come to shine… we must keep faith in our hearts… one day sorrow will disperse… and then we can stare into the amber sun… feel the warmth touch our souls and our hearts… we can be together forever my love… for the sun will come and rise to dawn after the night…_

Mephiles felt himself being torn from the blackness of death. His eyelids cracked open and his irises were pale and lime-colored instead of their usual deep jade. He breathed in a shaky, violent breath and coughed blood. His hands brushed the sand beneath him, its warmth lulling his arms into a restful state. But he strained himself to move.

His eyes locked with Lyna's. The sun had begun to set in the distance, its silvery glow bleeding into a scarlet-amber blend that silhouetted her face against it. Her golden eyes pierced through the shadows. "Can you hear me?" he had heard her whisper.

Then there was the song. "Though the days may seem so dark… the sun will always come to shine…"

Mephiles watched her hesitantly, afraid to disturb such beauty. He sat up weakly, his hands shivering upon the wet sand. They stared at each other for a long while. His heart was racing; whether it was from the pain or the closeness he could not differ.

She had sang the tune to calm him down. It was a song that she had heard many, many years ago… she couldn't remember where originally… she didn't know of a life before… well, servitude. She didn't know if she had parents or a being that created her, but she remembered the song and it was something she had always kept with her. She sang it when she was scared or happy or anything really.

But it seems to have caused something to be wrong since he had sat up so quickly she thought, and her eyes filled with fright. "L-lay back down! I'm not done yet!" she commanded, thinking it ironic that now _she_ was the one doing the commanding. "P-please, I know it hurts but I have to heal you or it's just going to get worse," she begged.

This was her fault...she should have seen the wave coming. She was stupid and careless and he had gotten hurt as a result. This is horrible for any situation for a servant, but...it was different. It hurt more than before. She didn't want him to be hurt at all, she supposed to protect him, but he had ended up getting hurt protecting her! Everything was backwards and twisted and…

She felt something wet drip down her cheek and drop onto her hand.

Was she...crying?

He could see the scarlet tones her cheeks glowed with. The heat of her breath as she commanded him to lay down. She wasn't done. It was only going to get worse.

What's wrong with me? Mephiles stared deep into her shimmering, wet orbs of topaz. A single tear from her eye. Dying for a girl I only met days ago... throwing away centuries of planning and vengeance…

The crash of the sea slashed through his thoughts, slicing the dreamlike haze in two. He glared hard at the girl called Lyna. "I have to..." he started, paused, then started again, "... I have to do something first."

He rose from the soft surface he now recognized as her lap and limped towards the water slowly. He wasn't sure he'd find it. But he knew he had to at least try.

Lyna was furious. "If you're looking for the emerald, if that's really more important than your health, it's right here!" she screams, holding up the emerald that she had managed to hold onto during the chaos. She didn't realize he was looking for something else.

"Why is this goal of yours worth dying for?! Why risk your life for the emerald?!" she realized now...he wasn't trying to save her...he only wanted his goal to succeed!

"Vengeance, revenge, that's all you care about!" she shouted, her anger getting the best of her and power flaring from her hands. "What happens after you beat the guy Mephiles? What happens after you have your revenge?! You think you'll be happy?! You shouldn't be wasting your time on this!"

He fell to his knees, and the world spun and flickered around him as his hands dug into the muddy sand. Ripples of sunset-dipped seawater ran across his fingers as he pried the seashell out of the darkness. Violet. He beheld it to the dying sun and saw it was the one. Pink.

Mephiles staggered to his feet. He could hear Lyna's shouts and rage echoing from somewhere far away. But when he turned, she was there behind him. Her yellow eyes were ablaze with anger.

He knew it meant nothing. The logical, the sane part of himself told him that what he had meant absolutely nothing to anyone, especially him. But the illogical, the insane part…

He held out the seashell to her, his arms growing weaker and weaker the longer they were held in the air. He presented the pink-purple shell to her as though it were as precious as a Chaos Emerald. "Here," he barely spoke, his voice practically gone.

What in the _heck_ was he digging around in the _sand_ for?! Had he lost his mind? Had he hit his head harder than she thought?! "Mephiles, if you're not dead I might kill you myse-…"

He held out his hands to her, cupping them as if he were holding something precious. His eyes… she couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. Raw determination. What was so important?!

She looked down into his claw like hands and saw..."A seashell?" she asked, utterly confused at this point. She took it gingerly in her own hands and held it up to the sunlight. It was a bright pink in the sun, yet in his hands, in the shadows, it was as deep a violet as the emerald. It was beautiful. Her eyes were full of confusion, shock, awe, and disbelief. "I...why..."

Then she saw him start to wobble like he would fall and she grabbed him, pulling him away from the water and towards dry land. She set his exhausted body back down, his head in her lap again. She made a soft noise, and he could tell it was actually a soft little laugh as a few salty tears dripped down her cheeks. "Bloody fool..." she whispered as she set back to healing him, but kept the shell tucked close to her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Just a Girl

When Mephiles next awoke, he would find himself back in the warehouse. His wounds were all healed, but very _very_ sore; his back, stomach, and chest bandaged with guaze that Lyna must have somehow found. There was a pillow under his head and a blanket over him, and judging by the lack of light from the window, it must have been nighttime.

Lyna was asleep beside him, propped up against a crate. Her rings were a dull gray, indicating she must have used all her energy to heal him, but were slowly filling up with gold color that glowed in the night. She still clutched the shell softly within her left hand, and the right rested on top of Mephiles', like she had still been healing him before she fell asleep from exhaustion.

Mephiles opened his eyes slowly. The sleepstuff and gunk made it difficult to see, but he managed to gaze out into the heavens and see a glimmer of starlight dancing in the moonlight; an indigo-black swirl of mystical color intensified by his fatigue. He struggled to move, but not much. The pain shot through him like a melting dagger, piercing the bottoms of his feet and spine and shooting upward with the speed and heat of an electric current.

He let out a deep groan as he started to push himself upwards, ignoring the horrid agony in his back.

Lyna heard him groan and her eyes sleepily opened. She was still half-asleep so she didn't immediately leap to his aid and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "M...Mephiles...?"

She yawned. Was this a dream? Was it real? She couldn't tell, but she was so tired...

The dark hedgehog rubbed his temples, shoving the dull throbbing sensations into the deep recesses of his mind. "Where... what the devil?"

He looked around lazily, observing his surroundings. The warehouse? When had they returned here? The last thing he recalled was...

Lyna opened her eyes fully. "Mephiles!" she said as she leapt to her feet. "Are you...ok? I... know it hurts... I've got some pain medicine," she said, pointing to a pill beside a glass of water. "The side effects are supposed to make you kind of loopy though..."

She knelt down to his level. "It's ok if things hurt. You've been...you've been out for two days..."

Mephiles glanced to the glass beside him. He blinked warily at the drug and then looked back at Lyna. What had she said? Two days? What had happened for him to have missed...?

His eyes shot open fully as he suddenly remembered. The beach. The wave. The pain. The blood. The shell.

He stared blankly at Lyna, unsure. How had she reacted? The seashell had been so... so stupid. She couldn't have remembered, could she? The ravings of a madman. She had certainly brushed off his advance.

But his thoughts were confounded when he saw the pink-purple shell in her palm, her delicate fingers gently entwined around it.

"Um...you aren't...saying anything..." she observed, shifting nervously under his blank and yet confused gaze. Did he not remember yesterday?! She hoped he didn't have any head trauma...

She saw him looking at the shell in her hands and sighed, getting a slightly angry look. "That was a really stupid thing to do you know. You were bleeding all over the place and you stood up and went back out to the sand to dig around for a shell!" She was huffing and puffing out her cheeks as she scolded him but she never once let go of the shell or said she didn't like it. Not once.

He watched her fume at him, scold him like a frustrated parent would their irresponsible child, and he remembered how he thought she had the cutest face in the world. But that had been part of the insanity, hadn't it? Of course. There was no questioning that.

"The shell," he murmured dumbly, shifting his gaze to the oceanic gem.

"Do you not even remember?!" she asked. She stalked back to the corner of the room, frustrated. What was she hoping would happen? That he would remember and apologize? That he would remember and be proud of the fact that he risked his life for a shell?!

He frustrated her to no end!

"I remember," he told her, trying to stand, stumbling towards and leaning on the crate. "I-... I simply..."

He swallowed hard and pushed aside his sanity once more. "Do you like it?"

Lyna was silent, the comment catching her off guard. Was that really the question he was asking? After all of this? Why was he worried about _her_?! Why was that his first thought after waking up from a near-death experience?

Did he have... feelings for her?

"Yes," she says quietly. "I do." she allows herself to smile when she looks down at the shell, its dark purple color from the shadows of her hands perfectly reflecting the violet color of her own skin and hair.

Mephiles felt the blood rush into his cheeks when she replied. He wasn't sure if they would turn color like others' would, but he tried to hide it all the same. His head nodded in approval, and he picked up the water and medicine. With a quick swallow, he downed the painkillers and sighed in relief.

That was all that mattered.

"It reminded me of you," he continued, saying more than he wanted to but not stopping. "And... I thought that, there on that shore, I would lose you. Forever. The very thought..."

He trailed off. It terrified him.

Lyna's eyes widened, but she had her back to him so she knew he wouldn't notice. He was worried about losing her? What did this mean? No... no this was wrong...

"You better start coming to terms with the feeling," she said softly, with pain in her voice. "After your goals are reached and you've gotten your vengeance, I will disappear. I will be gone."

Lyna's eyes hardened. She... she couldn't get attached to him. They'd only get hurt in the end. And she wasn't supposed to hurt her master.

The plummeting feeling abruptly took over his chest once again. Gone? He hadn't thought... he... she...

Mephiles glared at the concrete. He had to face himself. This way he was going, she would never know. And if she was to leave him in the end no matter what...

He marched towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to turn and look into his eyes. Jade clashed with gold.

He turned her around so fast her golden eyes widened in partial fear as she wasn't sure what his intentions were and was afraid she had done something wrong and was about to be punished. His jade eyes were so intense, they seemed to be filled with the same passion as when he was striding towards his vengeance. But what was it he was working so hard for now? What inside of him had sparked this same fire?

Lyna had never been this close to someone before. Especially not someone like Mephiles. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she felt something she had never known, or perhaps never dared, to feel before. She couldn't move, couldn't pull her eyes from his, and felt that she was immobile. She even forgot to breath for a moment.

"Lyna," Mephiles whispered. His own black heart was throbbing with the feeling, that agonizing, falling feeling. His eyes darted to the floor, afraid to meet hers, but he forced them to melt into her essence. Molten pools of honey that singed his soul. "I think..."

What did he think? Just what in hell was he thinking? His mind raced with a million thoughts. Yes. No. Say it. Don't. Stay. Go. Tell her. Shut up.

Lyna stared into his emerald eyes and saw an emotion she had never seen in him before. It was hard to describe. Partial fear and partial... longing. And something else she had been feeling inside of herself but had been too scared to admit. This couldn't be happening... they would only get hurt...after he succeeded in his goal, the emerald would take her back!

But... she wanted to know what he thought... she wanted to hear him say the words that seemed to be swelling around in his mind. What could make him so weak? What could cause both of their hearts to beat so wildly?

"I love you."

Time seemed to freeze. Not possible. How could he love her? She was just a girl. A pawn caught in his game. Just a girl. He watched for her reaction breathlessly. His chest hurt. His toes were numb. Just a girl.

Then he leaned forward and kissed her; just a girl. His eyes closed as the passion exploded in his head like fireworks. Colors and lights and insanity.

Lyna eyes were wide as the words seemed to have slipped out of his mouth by accident, and he was as startled by them as she was. She felt frozen in time and at first didn't know how to react.

Then she felt lips press against her own.

No. This was... this was insane! This was... this was...

And then she stopped thinking. She shut out the objections that sprang up in her mind, screaming at her. She shut out the doubts and the fears and the sadness and just melted into the moment. She had never been kissed before.

Mephiles let the logical part of himself take control as he parted from her. His eyes were wide again, and the plummeting sensation returned. But it was slightly better now.

He looked at Lyna with stunned eyes. Disbelief. Fear. What did she think? It was no longer a secret; he loved her. But what did she think? It mattered not what he felt if she rejected him.

He went to speak, perhaps preemptively apologize, but he stopped.

When he parted, a good portion of her was... disappointed. Her eyes fluttered open, her cheeks bright pink. She looked at him quietly and saw all of the emotions pass in front of his face. Disbelief, fear... r-regret? Did he regret it?

Before she could stop herself she blurted out "I love you too."

This was foolish. But...maybe she needed something foolish to hold onto.

Mephiles' face turned color. He knew he did; it was no longer a question. The blood was there and it had shaded his face a deep amber. He swallowed hard when she answered him. Part of him screamed for joy. Part of him boiled with fear. And a small part of him begged the question: if she loves me, and I love her...?

"Can we..." Mephiles stammered naively, "... can we do that again?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: No Matter How Lovely

Lyna laughed. She couldn't help it. The blushing, the expressions that crossed his face, and the cute way he stammered was too much; the whole situation struck her as a bit funny. She laughed lightly, covering it with her mouth before smiling at him. A bright, happy smile that he hadn't seen before, because she hadn't felt this happy in… a really, really long time.

Mephiles felt a blend of delight and dread when she laughed. It was lovely, but at a time like this… wasn't that a bad thing? No, the look in her eye, the grin on her lips; that confirmed it was definitely not a bad thing.

Instead of answering Mephiles's previous question verbally, Lyna leaned forward and kissed him lightly, her eyes closing slightly. She could feel his cool lips, cold from the darkness that swarmed inside of his body like a storm, and she was in awe that something so dark could love.

Her lips touched his once more, light and soft like a feather plucked from an angel's wing. The feeling of falling didn't feel bad anymore; now he was not falling. He was flying.

Lyna parted just softly, and pulled back only a bit before smiling again. Her eyes were bright with happiness. And she was nervous. She'd never been in this situation before. She'd never been in…love. It was dangerous and silly but she wanted it. And now she had it.

"W-we should…um…get you back to resting…" she said with a giggle. "And…maybe the next time we kiss it shouldn't be while you're on pain medicine," she added with a wink. She wanted to make sure this was real and not just some dazed side effect. It was hard to imagine the same figure that was aggressive and violent and dark could possibly be so nervous and blushing when faced with kissing a girl. It was kind of adorable.

"Ah," he replied, backing away and remembering the medicine. "Of course. I should have…yes. We have much more to do." He wandered over to his makeshift bed and laid down his head. "Good night, Lyna," he said as he shut his eyes and prayed that sleep might finally take him. It never had before, but this time, it would feel so right if it did.

Lyna blushed and worked up her courage. With her back to him, she snuggled down in the makeshift bed next to him with a smile. He was pleasantly cool… she closed her eyes and hoped that this good feeling would last. She didn't want it to go away, and now more than ever she dreaded when the day would come that she would have to be forced back into the emerald. This time she would be leaving something behind. She clutched the shell close to her chest and drifted off to sleep next to him.

…

The next morning, Mephiles awoke with a slight throbbing sensation in his head and a tension in his spine. He groaned as he rose from the makeshift bed, his back cracking as he did so. His gaze shifted around in search of his companion, and when he saw her at his bedside, he smiled warmly.

But the smile turned into a frown. He couldn't allow himself any distractions. He had worked far too hard and far too long to fail now, all because of a girl…

He gently ran a finger along the sleeping girl's hair, enjoying the velvet caress. No distractions. He pulled his hand away and stood. No matter how lovely.

Certainly, Mephiles could love her. Lyna could love him. There was no disputing this. But were his emotions ever to get in the way of his goals… he clenched his teeth and listened to the noise of the sea beyond the warehouse walls. He would never forgive himself.

Lyna, deep within her dreams, felt the caress and let out a soft sigh, smiling. She could tell it was Mephiles and she felt her heart practically glow with joy. When she sleepily opened her eyes to look at him, she could tell he was deep in thought, but about what, she wasn't sure. She felt a pang of fear in her chest.

Mephiles was, by all means, an ambitious individual. She knew he wouldn't let anything get in the way of his goals. Certainly not her.

She swallowed. But after his achieved his goal, the fire would engulf her and she would be forced back into the emerald, never to see him again. The thought made her want to cry. She had never felt so torn. Should she continue to help him loyally? Or should she try to slow the efforts to spend as much time as possible with him? She really didn't know.

Mephiles stood from the bed, stretching his sore limbs as he did so. "Are you awake?" he asked Lyna absentmindedly, trying to focus on the task ahead.

Lyna nodded in response. "Yes. How are you feeling?" She stood and stretched as well, rubbing her eyes. She had slept quite well the previous night.

Mephiles pressed a hand to his back and felt for a moment. "Much better," he decided after a while. He turned to Lyna and locked eyes with her once more. He couldn't help but notice how much happier she looked now. But he tried to ignore it.

"Where do you sense the next emerald?" he asked.

Lyna closed her eyes, but it wasn't to sense the emerald. It was to decide what to do. Whether to help him.

She knew already that she had to help him. She loved him. Lyna swallowed and tried to sense the emerald through her chaotic emotions.

"There are two of about equal distance…one is in a…robot factory? I think it's with that Eggman fellow…the other is also with someone. I honestly can't pinpoint the location because he's running too fast," she admitted.

"Running fast?" Mephiles queried. No doubt it was Shadow's other shadow, Sonic the hedgehog. Eggman's factory might prove problematic if faced too quickly. But Sonic had been easy to dispose of before, and going after him now would offer Mephiles a delectable chance at the vengeance that still seemed miles away.

"The hedgehog," he said. "It must be Sonic, the self-proclaimed 'fastest thing alive.' We will pursue him first. Take us there now; any longer and we might be too late to catch him.

**Thanks for all the good reviews guys! The next chapter will be released sometime next month so stay tuned. Also, I may or may not be posting up an image for what Lyna looks like soon. If I do I will post a link in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Lyna nodded. It was hard to pinpoint when he was moving so fast...

"There! He's finally stopped..." she said as she teleported them, and just as Sonic had stopped at a grassy hilltop, similar to Green Hill Zone. Sonic had just finished running and was looking out over the hillside quietly.

Mephiles paused when he saw the Blue Blur perched atop the hill, his dark green eyes surveying the beautiful landscape. He wasn't sure whether to catch the speedster by surprise, or to call out to him before he ran off once more.

He chose the latter. "Sonic the hedgehog!"

The azure hedgehog turned and his eyes widened when he saw Mephiles. The normally cocky and laidback hero had a hint of fear about him. After all, he was staring back at someone who at one point and time had been his murderer.

He tried to hide this though and smirked. "Well, I thought I'd gotten rid of you a long time ago! What are you doing here Mephiles? And who's that girl? Have you taken to kidnapping pretty girls now? Not even that would be too low for you!"

Lyna scoffed. "Kidnapped?!"

Mephiles took a step forward, putting himself slightly before Lyna and unconsciously defending her body. "The girl is none of your concern. However, she will be if you do not hand over the Chaos Emerald you have in your possession..."

The dark hedgehog snapped his fingers and beheld his empty palm. "Now."

Sonic looked a bit confused at Meohiles's protective demeanor. "No way! I remember full well what happened last time you had an emerald, murderer!"

Lyna's eyes widened when he said this. "M-Mephiles?!"

Mephiles offered Lyna a quick glance before turning back to Sonic. His cocky grin irked him to no end. "The past is the past, hedgehog."

His arm gleamed with black, oozing energy like tar as his toxic green eyes glowered down at the blue hedgehog. He pictured the charging Chaos Spear going straight through Sonic's smug skull. "Now, however, is now," he spoke as he aimed the magic at the hero and growled. "And now is the time to hand over that emerald."

Sonic tapped his chin. "Hmmm... let me think about it... no." In a blur of blue he was gone and behind them and he grabbed hold of Lyna. "Think I'll save the damsel in distress though!"

"Get your hands off of me!" Lyns shouted at him.

"Listen lady, whatever he's promising you is a lie!" Sonic told her, fighting the struggling girl.

The black and lavender hedgehog's temper flared and something inside of him snapped as Sonic's hands made an audible clap as they touched Lyna.

Lyna. There was a deep and gut-wrenching fire in his throat as he roared and let the power in his fingers explode. He pointed his hand to the earth below for fear of hitting her in the crossfire, and the Spear imploded the dirt and grass with a ball of gooey black magma.

Soil and bits of leaf hovered in the air, and the explosion echoed through the hills and rang in his ears. "Unhand her!" he ordered loudly, taking one hard step forward. "Now!"

Both of his hands began to burn with black magic as he stared down the Blue Blur. "Obey me, scum," he snarled. "Or experience hell a second time!"

Fear flashed in his eyes again, but Sonic was never one to back down. He grabbed Lyna, this time picking her up and was about to run wen Lyna punched him and broke free, running to Mephiles.

Sonic groaned. "Owwwww!" He scowled and took a fighting stance. "Fine..."

Mephiles fired twin beams of energy from his palms, aiming for the Blue Blur's chest. "Die!" he shouted, the lasers swirling and singing the air with audible hissing noises.

Sonic executed a backflip almost immediately, dodging the attack and spinning in the air, charging a Homing Attack. "Too slow!" he teased as he shot through the wind and collided with Mephiles, tossing him to the ground.

Lyna scowled. This blue hedgehog was not only arrogant and stupid, but he was annoying! Lyna fired her own purple chaos beams at the hedgehog (though not at his chest, she would admit), though he also dodged those.

"Woah! Guess you really are working with him! It's not gonna end well, but it's your funeral!" He used a Homing Attack on Lyna but she managed to slip just barely out of the way.

"He's so fast..." she murmured to herself. She tried to aim and fire once again but Sonic kicked her feet out from under her and she hit the ground with a hiss of pain.

Sonic grinned. "Now...why don't we talk this out before you two get hurt?"

Mephiles leapt to his feet, brushing dirt off of his shoulders and glaring hard at the blue hedgehog. "It is you who will be hurt if you continue to resist," he corrected without emotion, hiding his anger.

The darkness began to bleed down his body, manifesting into vortexes and whorls of hellish, black Chaos energy. "Last chance, hero," he demanded, his eyes combusting into a wild amber color. "Relinquish the emerald."

Lyna glanced at Mephiles. The way he was acting… she didn't want him to kill Sonic! She thought about saying something, but what?!

"Mephiles, be careful," she whispered, reaching for his hand.

Sonic scowled and pulled out his own emerald and started summoning its energy to counter Mephiles' own.

The dark hedgehog almost reflexively pulled away when Lyna's hand brushed his, but he stopped himself. The cold fire of his power faded ever so slightly when he realized that she did not want him to kill Sonic. He growled at the thought of the Blue Blur living another day. Pity.

With restraint, Mephiles charged a Chaos Blast. Before he released, he needed to see what Sonic would do in order to counteract it.

Lyna almost sighed with relief. She knew Mephiles' hatred and rage was deep. She knew it was likely that he may have... killed someone before. She knew that that was his plan for Shadow. But she couldn't bear to watch it... to see him like that... it made her heart ache.

Sonic saw the blast forming and the energy from his own emerald pulsed and surrounded him. He was planning a shield, something to stop the energy. His eyes flickered to Lyna, wondering how she planned on dodging the blast.

Lyna meanwhile, had an idea that could end the fight before it got too bloody. She readied herself to teleport.

"Tremble," he roared, unleashing a flurry of raven-colored explosions. "Tremble in darkness!"

The black light of his force obliterated the soil and disintegrated the grass around him as he unleashed his power.

Sonic aimed to block but the attack caught both him and Lyna off guard. She had just enough time to put up her own shield, but Sonic was helpless. The explosions slammed into him and the hedgehog was sent sailing. He hit the ground hard, bloodied and bruised. Lyna's eyes were wide and she wondered if he was even alive. She saw him barely breathing and ran forward.

She looked back at Mephiles. "That's enough, you've won, just let me take the emerald and let him live." Lyna went to take the emerald from Sonic's hand, but he wasn't as unconscious as she thought. He grabbed her and held her tightly.

"Enough Mephiles!" he shouted, "You can't attack me anymore or she'll get hurt, and if she's that important to you, you won't do anything. If she's not that important, then maybe she won't work with you anymore!"

Lyna's eyes were full of fear. But not of Sonic. She saw the bloodlust in Mephiles's eyes and wondered if he would still attack even if she was held hostage. She couldn't do anything to defend herself. And he was so close now, he probably didn't need her help. She was scared. Mephiles scared her.

Mephiles' voice was a guttural, furious noise as he stepped forward. The fire in his eyes could have rivaled a demon's. "Unhand her," he hissed through clenched teeth, the energy building once more inside his palms.

The Chaos power gleamed in his fingertips like long, black talons. "I command you!" he roared, suddenly terrified of how easily he could lose the emerald... and her.

Sonic watched them. He was quiet for a long time. Then he let Lyna go. She ran forward towards Mephiles. She swallowed and looked at him, ashamed.

Sonic had the emerald in his hand. He stepped forward and wordlessly handed the jewel to Lyna. "I don't trust Mephiles. But I sense that you aren't all bad. So hopefully you can stop him from doing anything crazy."

Mephiles let his charged attack fade as the emerald was placed into Lyna's hand. He was dumbfounded, to say the least. Wordlessly, he waited for Lyna, casting curious glances at Sonic as he did so.

Sonic stared at him right in the eyes. "I'm not scared of you anymore. I know what happens after death." He turned and walked away.

Lyna looks down at the emerald in her hands, them up at Mephiles. "Mephiles... how... did he know you? Why did he..."

Mephiles put a trembling hand upon her shoulder, telling himself as well as her to calm down. "I can," he hesitated as he saw the blue hedgehog walk away, "I can tell you later."

He sighed in exhaustion and embraced her for a moment. "For now, though, I'm simply glad you're safe."

Lyna's eyes widened. "Wait... you... you were worried about me? I thought... I thought... you just wanted the emerald or hated him or..."

"We should return to the warehouse," Mephiles stated, placing a hand upon the emerald that Lyna held, waiting.

Lyna let go of the emerald so he could hold it, nodding. She felt her heart twist into a knot as she did so. Only two more emeralds left.

And then she would have to leave.

She forced a smile onto her lips and teleported the two of them back to the warehouse. She looked down at her rings. She hadn't used much energy at all that last battle. She hadn't done anything really except get in Mephiles' way and play the part of the damsel in distress. She gritted her teeth in frustration at her own helplessness.

"We needn't rest long," Mephiles said, immediately ready for more action. The blue hedgehog had proven far weaker than he remembered. However, his boiling blood craved more. "Where is the next emerald?"

"The scientist has one," she says quietly. Already? He wants to head out so quickly?

She swallowed back her thoughts and nodded. "Shall I take us there?"

He paused at her quiet tone. "Is anything the matter?"

"No," she says quickly. "I... I just... I'm sorry I was in the way that last battle," she says. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was part of it.

"There is no need for apology," he said, confused. What was wrong? Had he said something to offend her? "Is there... anything wrong?"

He placed a shockingly gentle hand on her shoulder. The same hand that had almost killed only minutes ago. "Anything at all?"

Lyna swallowed and looked up at him. "I... I don't want to leave you Mephiles. I... you scare me. Even now... watching you get so angry, it scared me. But... I still don't want to leave! But once you collect these next two emeralds..." Her eyes water. "I'll be sucked back into that prison and be alone again."

Mephiles' heart dropped into his stomach. His throat grew dry and raw with useless emotion. Her eyes bored into his, the watery fire singeing his soul. "I..."

He felt his knees turn cold and weak. "Why?"

"That's the way it is," she said, her voice cracking. "When our masters have completed their goal, we are no longer deemed necessary."

She slammed her fist against the wall in a spat of violent rage. "But I don't want to leave! I'm sick of living by someone else's rules! I want to be free so I can be with you!"

Mephiles stared dumbly at his feet. His heart scraped against the bars of his ribcage, and his ears rang with hellish white noise.

But... his vengeance... How dare you, he thought to himself. How dare you even consider revenge above Lyna.

Centuries of planning thrown to waste, because of some girl. Was it worth it? No. Yes. No. Yes.

"I want to be with you, Lyna," he eventually said, thinking aloud more than speaking. "I want so much to be with you..."

Lyna wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could, just to feel him against her. His skin was cool to the touch but that was just a part of him and she didn't want it any other way.

"I love you Mephiles," she said softly. "I wish things didn't have to be like this. More than anything. But I don't want to get in your way of what you've wanted for so long. I don't want to be that person. I just... have one question."

She looks up into his eyes. "What do you plan on doing after... after you kill this Shadow? Forget that I'm here. From the very beginning, what did you plan after that?"

Iblis was gone. Solaris no longer existed.

He didn't know what would come next. Only vengeance. Blind, ugly vengeance.

The tears flowed like twin rivers down his face as he silently wept into Lyna's shoulder. He had no plan. Once Shadow was dead, there would be nothing any longer.

"Shhhh... it's okay..." she said softly and she placed her hand behind his head as he cried. For someone who acted so dark and strong, she had never seen anyone whose entire being was so fragile...

She finally understood him. The story he told about Solaris and Iblis. To be thrown and torn apart from the only life he'd ever known and cast out. Hated. Rejected. No one understood him. He had to focus on revenge to keep his sanity...

"You're not alone Mephiles," she whispered. "You're never alone."


End file.
